The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-06-15

natural advantages are they are NOR
than over-balsnctd by the acquired ad
vantages OF the North. They have chea
coal, skilled labor, experience in man
agement, ample capital seeking invest
ment at a low rate OF interest. The
have giant establishments, filed wit
the most improved labor-saving machin
cry and run on scale where expense
are reduced to q minimum. They al
located IL dense population who sup
ply local demand for their products
!! They are located near the great CONNER
cial emporiums and can place their SUI
plus products on the market at the leas
possible expense, and they have yer,
favorable freight rates. These advant
ages enable the great factories of tn
North to manufacture goods cheape
than our infant factories can possibly do
So great are these advantages tha
even John Stuart Mil, the great apostl
of free trade, admits that some govern
mental protection is necessary to the es
tablishment of factories when they hav'
to compete with q country whose facto
ries have an established business ant
whose processes OF work have become
traditional. The infant factories of th'
North required and secured a heav.
protection against the established facto
ries of England. To-day they bear tt
MS the same relation which the old Eng
ish factories bore to them a centur!
ago. Our factories cannot hope for the
protection which would build them up
Both the free trade sentiment Of oul
people and the Constitution of the
United States prohibit any import duty
against Northern goods.
But surely it is not demanding toe
much to ask the protection which nature
gives us-the protection of distance;
Surely it is rot asking too much to de.
mand that the products from factories
shall be distributed throughout our Owl
State as cheaply as the products of for
eign competitors? Surely it is not re,
quiring too much to demand that the
railroads, built frequently at the expense
OF the people, for the development Of
the State, shall not use their power OF
unfair discrimination to crush and ruin
the struggling industries of the State,
and drain her wealth into the Golfers OF
foreign rivals?
DEPRESSING THE FARMERS.
The effect of this policy is hardly less
hurtful to the farmers. Exceedingly low
through rates have induced the neglect
of eli other crops, and the almost exclu-
sive culture OF cotton. This brings in
its train extravaganza and debt, and in
the end dishonesty. When the people
raised their own supplies they had less
money, but they needed less. They bad
enough to purchase the comforts OF life,
which they did not produce, and to pay
their honest debts. Now, when the
people raise cotton only, they make
more money; their pockets are full if
their barns are empty. The money all
comes in at cne season. They are rich
then, if poor al the balance of the year.
While they have the money they squan-
der it needle sly, and before the year ex-
pires are compelled to go IN debt for the
necessalies of life. And so the next
years crop must go to pay foc last years
living, and u system OF debt has been
saddled on the country which has
brought it to the verge of bankruptcy.
Who can foresee the result of one more
crop failure?
OUR INTERNAL COMMERCE.
THE internal commerce of the State
has been ruined, and the growth OF ou1
rising cities has been checked by this
same ruinous policy. The prosperity OF
cities hangs On the Will Of the railroad
sutocrats. They can cause business to
flow into it, or TO go elsewhere. They
focused advantages at a country cross
road Il Georgia and Atlanta sprang up
teemirg with enterprise and wealth. 4
withdrawal of these advantages would
dissipate her business, and her prosperi-
ty would be a dream Of the past. Ten
years ago it was the policy OF the rail,
roads to build up the internal commerce
of this State. Favoring through rates
we're given to railroad centres and cheap
distributing rates. In single decade
Spartanburg doubled her business AID
tlipled her population; wholesale houses
were established and supplied the local
trade for miles around. Her goods were
sold within twenty miles of Atlanta.
Within the past seven years this Ell.
cour5gement to wholesale internal com.
merce has been Withdrawn and the busi.
ness has perishea. Concessions have
teel made to 10 distributing points ex.
cept Charleston and Columbia, where
proximity to water compelled it. But
even these have been deprived OF what is
more important-their cheap distribut,
ing rates.
TEE WHOLESALE TRADE OF THE INTERIOR
Iagain take Spartanburg as a type Of
her sister cities. In 1881 the rate on
fertilizers from Spartanburg to Wexford,
on the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line,
or to Pacolet, on she Spartanburg and
Union Road, was $3.50 a carload; now
it is $3.50, an increase of nearly 20C
per cent. The local trade has been de-
stroyed.
In 1881 the freight on -four to Pacolet
was l6 cents barrel, now it is 32 cents
on bacon it was so a carload, now it Is
S36. So exorbitant is this local freight
that the people have been col peeled to
resort to wagon transportation. The
Lowest freight on the Augusta and Spar.
tanburg Road to Campobello, eighteen
miles above Spsrtanburg, is 8 g ton
frst-class freight is 81 ton. Wagons
will haul it, without regard to class, fol
3 per ton free Of drayage, and are
monopol;zing the mercantile business.
Until recently the rate on cotton from
Campobello was 70 cents a bale, while
the wagons were eager TO carry it at 81